Paul Bogan, longtime director of athletics at Westfield State and a former commissioner of the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference, will be honored posthumously this fall for distinguished service to the Eastern College Athletic Conference.

Bogan, who died in 1997 at age 62, will be one of three recipients this year of the ECAC James Lynah Distinguished Service Award, presented periodically to athletics administrators who achieved outstanding success and made significant contributions in the interest of intercollegiate athletics.

He joins Lauren Anderson, recently retired Rhode Island senior woman administrator, and Jack Simpson, former Boston University director of athletics, as award recipients. The award is named for the principal founder of the ECAC and will be presented October 6 during the ECAC Fall Convention and Trade Show in Hyannis, Massachusetts.

Bogan served as Westfield State’s athletics director for 32 years beginning in 1963, overseeing the program as it grew from two sports to as many as 22.

He also was head baseball coach from 1963 to 1972 and head men’s basketball coach from 1964 to 1967. He was a physical education faculty member during his early years at the school.

Bogan was MASCAC commissioner from 1980 to 1990 and also commissioner of the New England Football Conference from 1991 to 1996. After his retirement from Westfield State in 1995, he became the first full-time commissioner of the Northeast-10 Conference in Division II.

He also was active in the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, serving as its secretary from 1980 to 1985 and as its parliamentarian from 1985 until his death.